Irish Coffee and Fish and Chips

I arrived to Ireland with some friends this past weekend, with no expectations, but left disappointed: disappointed that I couldn't stay longer, and see more. The Irish are really lovely people, although there existed a quite thick language barrier among myself and pretty well every cab driver, waiter and barman. A relatively humorous concept considering both parties consider themselves English speakers. Regardless, Ireland reminded me a lot of home, because of our own abundance of Irish pubs, but these were in a category of their own: the joyful sound of accordion and flute spilling out of every bar, beginning at around 7:00 pm, really set the mood. 

Howth, Ireland

After a lovely night falling in love with just about every Irishman, we headed out to find some of the "green" we have been conditioned to associate with Ireland. And did we ever find it. After a delicious meal at the local pub, we went on a hike with some breathtaking views of the Howth cliffs, stretching for kilometers alone the shoreline. If only I hadn't accidentally booked an early morning flight, I would spent some more time exploring this beautiful country. Can't wait to come back!

Hilarious sign at the Summit Pub, Howth, Ireland

When in Rome, do as the Romans do

Not sure that is by any means what we did! 

My Dad flew over for a little Parisian visit, and what do we decide to do? Well leave Paris of course! In search of some warmer weather, and the sun which has seemingly ceased to shine in Paris, we found ourselves in Rome.

The weather was beautiful, and I discovered a lot about my Dad. For one, although being an immigrant to Canada, it seems he has become well adjusted because for the first time ever, I realized how very "American" he has become. Firstly, to my utter dismay, I was forced into breaking all of my personal travel rules, one of the first being paying for a Hop on Hop off tour bus. I was coaxed into the idea seeing as my Dad is currently having a hard time walking, but inside I was growing increasing anxious in fear of the possibility of being convinced to rent a Segway. Luckily, we didn't have the time, since we spent most of the trip chasing after the bus, which made for fits of laughter at the irony of the situation. All in all, it was wonderful spending the weekend with my Dad, and we should not be, by any means, held responsible for the abdication of the Pope, of which we have been accused on multiple occasions.

We had a lovely pizza lunch in front of the Pantheon, where a waiter generously and rapidly set up a new table for us in the sun, which we thoroughly enjoyed until the evening when I regretfully realized I should have been wearing sunscreen.

Can't wait to wander the city again this summer.